[IEMusic]

I think the ASX will sound either spectacular or like a horrible mess.
I'd be shocked if it will be anything in between.

I agree.

 

[moondowner]

I ordered the Alien Secret a few days ago and i now feel like it was a dumb decision because it's a no-name "brand".
Hope i wont be disappointed.

Which one? As they have several TWS models. To be honest for $25 their 'Predator' offers 7hrs of continuous playback , AptX, Type-C charging port.. that's a really good deal. I guess their profit margin is pretty low and they are trying to make some presence with it.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

I would like to know how the ZAX compare to the ZS10 Pro, which are my favorite IEMs.
My pair just cracked and I'm ready to replace them.

Well, I own both and will be receiving the ZAX tomorrow, so I will let you know more as I discover the differences.

 

[Wgibson]

Just wanted to mention that I have been looking for loose 2 pin connectors for DIY stuff because I'm not an mmcx fan, and that led me back to just buying a few pairs of the EDX for $6 each... About $7 with no sales currently happening. Don't see how it can be done for that price, is it the cheapest replaceable cable IEM you can get?

 

[BKChelly]

Well, I own both and will be receiving the ZAX tomorrow, so I will let you know more as I discover the differences.

Thanks!

 

[purplesun]

The ASX clearly looks like a vented IEM, but as you can see, it is a tubed design (Are there any other tubed KZ IEMs?).

AFAIK, KZ AS10, AS06, AS12 & CCA C16 has similar BA holder/adapter design.
Example AS10:

 

[PhonoPhi]

I think the ASX will sound either spectacular or like a horrible mess.
I'd be shocked if it will be anything in between.

AFAIK, KZ AS10, AS06, AS12 & CCA C16 has similar BA holder/adapter design.
Example AS10:

I was not sure about AS06 and AS10, but it seems right.
Then BA10, A10, and AS16, as well.
In other words all all-BA KZ/CCA are using guides/tubes with BAs.

 

[PhonoPhi]

AS16 have an interesting configuration: 1, 1, 4, 4, for bass, mids, high mids, and treble, respectively.
It is not likely that those quads will be used at full power. What can be hopefully achieved is good smoothing of the sharp peaks (less harshness and less steely sounding) when their resonant frequencies are slightly offset.

 

[IEMusic]

AFAIK, KZ AS10, AS06, AS12 & CCA C16 has similar BA holder/adapter design.
Example AS10:

Thanks. That looks like the acoustic structure on the ASF, which serves the same purpose as the tubes, but is not exactly the same. It probably still provides quite a bit of isolation. How is the isolation on the various KZ all-BA IEMs?

 

[purplesun]

I have tested all the BA-only KZ/CCA, that I mentioned, on plane flights and their isolation is top-notch. I sometimes just wear them like earplugs - not connected to any source. By comparison, hybrids or DD IEMs doesn't work for me as they still let in too much cabin pressure.

I hope for some user reviews on the ASX & ASF before the 11.11 sale. I am sitting out the early trials for this pair of BA-only products as the A10 gave my ears a good scare with its tuning. It's quite amazing/looney that KZ tunes BA-only IEMs that ranges from AS10 to A10. They must have a crew of tuners with a variety of listening tastes. To me, it seems the treblehead tuner has been calling the shots lately. But to each his own!

 

[unifutomaki]

Now that the one-month honeymoon is over, how is everyone here liking their ZAX's? After reading completely through a few dozen pages of your reactions, I am feeling fairly confident that these will be a solid buy. Currently, I am the proud owner of ZS 10 Pro's that I like quite a bit in many respects, but I feel like I am missing a bit of detail (especially in the upper treble), naturalness (in the mids), and openness (in term of soundstaging). I hate warm earphones, and I believe brans like Westone and Shure give IEMs a bad name due to their IEM veil or treble drop-off. My IEMs prior to the ZS 10 Pro's have been many including Phonak, DUNU, and the FiiO, though not so many as the headphones I used to own or demoed, where I have tried every major audiophile brand and model of headphone besides Stax and Audeze. My all-time favorite IEMs were the FiiO EX1 2nd Gen but I ultimately never replaced since the cables are prone to fail requiring repeated replacement. I would say I love PRaT and detail and would call myself a treblehead. I just ordered a set of ZAX's on Amazon that are due to arrive tomorrow. In your guys' experience, will the ZAX's do the trick for me?

I've still been enjoying mine. The ZAX have a slight V-shaped tuning, what some might call fun-sounding. It has a wide soundstage where you're placed slightly back from the front row. Vocals are slightly recessed to me, especially male vocals, but given that the Moondrop SSR is my benchmark in this regard, this might not even be a negative for you. Treble is clean but not harsh. Overall a very coherent sounding refined hybrid.

 

[voicemaster]

I have tested all the BA-only KZ/CCA, I mentioned, on plane flights and their isolation is top-notch. I sometimes just wear them like earplugs - not connected to any source. By comparison, hybrids or DD IEMs doesn't work for me as they still let in too much cabin pressure.

I hope for some user reviews on the ASX & ASF before the 11.11 sale. I am sitting out the early trials for this pair of BA-only products. The A10 gave my ears a good scare with its tuning. It's quite amazing/looney that KZ tunes BA-only IEMs that ranges from AS10 to A10. They must have a crew of tuners with a variety of listening tastes. To me, it seems the treblehead tuner has been calling the shots lately. But to each his own!

The reason why Hybrid and DD IEM doesn't isolate as much as all BA IEM is that they need to have some kind of vent to let the air in/out.
I have the ASX on order, but KZ official store at AE will start shipping them on Oct.15. So it will be quite awhile from now. Of course, I will be doing comparison with the ZAX.

 

[Viber]

Which one? As they have several TWS models. To be honest for $25 their 'Predator' offers 7hrs of continuous playback , AptX, Type-C charging port.. that's a really good deal. I guess their profit margin is pretty low and they are trying to make some presence with it.

The ones Scarbir gave 5 stars to, the "QCC010".
They were 19$ on Friday so i got them.

Initially the plan was to buy the CCA CX10 TWS as they were on sale also, but then i saw they had horrible battery life and i didnt want to be left with no TWS at all.

I kinda regret not spending more on the 'Fiil T1XS' instead...price seemed too high at the time.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

Just got the new KZ ZAX.
I've spent more than a decade searching for the perfect sound in an earphone. This is the 64th earphone (and 13th KZ earphone) in my IEM collection. By far the best I've ever heard. I think I'll stop now. I am finally satisfied.

Well here's most of them. There are plenty more that I didn't record.
Sony MDR-EX70, JVC HA-FX66, Panasonic RP-TCM125w, Panasonic IEM, Panasonic ErgoFit RP-HJE120-g, V-Moda Vibe, V-Moda IEM, Creative Labs E-630, Altec-Lansing IEM, Ultimate Ears MetroFi 150v , Apple earbuds, Klipsch Image S4i, Shure E2C, Shure SE110, Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro, Monoprice 8320 IEM, Monoprice 12238 IEM, Brainwavz Delta IEM, Roku IEM, Mrice E300, Philips SHE3595 IEM, Sony XBA-H1 IEM, JVC HAFX5R, JVC HAFX8W, FiiO EX-1, Joyroom E103 , Superlux HD381F , Rock Zircon, SWING IE800 , DZAT DF-10, KZ ATE, KZ EDR2 , UiiSii HM7, Xiaomi Piston Colorful , Tennmak Pro, QKZ W1 , QKZ V1, VE Monk+, 1MORE Triple Driver, VIVO XE800, AKG/Samsung IEM , KZ ATR, KZ ZS3, KZ ZST, KZ ED12, KZ ES3, KZ ZS5, KZ ZS5 + wireless, KZ ZS6, KZ ZS6+wireless, KZ ZS10, KZ ES4, KZ ES4, KZ ZSN, KZ ZSN Pro, TRN V80, **** EN900, Monoprice True Wireless, Samsung Galaxy Buds, JBL Endurance Peak (wireless), Tin T2 Pro, KZ ZAX

Not to be overly repetitive, @Freetrademan's post hits the nail on the head for these KZ ZAX's and I was very skeptical of his claims going in. Talk about giant killers! KZ has come a long way from where they were just a couple years ago and they are way better than the DUNU products out there. And about the KZ ZS10 Pro, it is not even remotely in the same class. ZAX's do everything so perfectly, it is almost shocking to listen to them.

The ZAX's put the Fiio EX-1 2nd Gen's to shame and easily trounce the old-school high-end Shure's (SE846 and SE535) and DUNU's (DN2000J and DK-3001) I have used. If I could best describe the ZAX's sound, it reminds me of the depth and soundstaging of open headphones but with the bass extension of closed headphones. Only the EX-1's were open sounding to me but the ZAX's eclipse in detail and dynamics.

Typically, the open headphones I have owned do well with songs like these below but closed headphones and especially earphones struggle to resolve the flickering ambience or reverberations surrounding the drums and cymbals. The ZAX's do that on the level of the HD 800's I owned with none of the peaks of the ZS10 Pro's. Holy moley, these are so good!





The sound is just so... complete. To be certain, I have heard way too many headphones (top models include the Sennheiser HD 800, HD 700, HD 650 and HD 600, HiFiMAN HE-1000, Grado PS-1000, Beyerdynamic T90 and T1, AKG Q 701 and K 812, ad nauseum) and I have driven them with reference-tier gear, including a Khadas Tone Board DAC and a JDS Labs Atom and Geshelli Labs Archel2.5 Pro amplifier. The ZAX has everything in the spades: balance, detail, vividness, dynamics, treble, bass, midrange, you name it. Yet there is no hint of overreaching or heavy-handedness from harshness, sterility, bloat or peakiness. End game? Yes, sir-ree! Buy without hesitation!

 

[courierdriver]

Not to be overly repetitive, @Freetrademan's post hits the nail on the head for these KZ ZAX's and I was very skeptical of his claims going in. Talk about giant killers! KZ has come a long way from where they were just a couple years ago and they are way better than the DUNU products out there. And about the KZ ZS10 Pro, it is not even remotely in the same class. ZAX's do everything so perfectly, it is almost shocking to listen to them.

The ZAX's put the Fiio EX-1 2nd Gen's to shame and easily trounce the old-school high-end Shure's (SE846 and SE535) and DUNU's (DN2000J and DK-3001) I have used. If I could best describe the ZAX's sound, it reminds me of the depth and soundstaging of open headphones but with the bass extension of closed headphones. Only the EX-1's were open sounding to me but the ZAX's eclipse in detail and dynamics.

Typically, the open headphones I have owned do well with songs like these below but closed headphones and especially earphones struggle to resolve the flickering ambience or reverberations surrounding the drums and cymbals. The ZAX's do that on the level of the HD 800's I owned with none of the peaks of the ZS10 Pro's. Holy moley, these are so good!





The sound is just so... complete. To be certain, I have heard way too many headphones (top models include the Sennheiser HD 800, HD 700, HD 650 and HD 600, HiFiMAN HE-1000, Grado PS-1000, Beyerdynamic T90 and T1, AKG Q 701 and K 812, ad nauseum) and I have driven them with reference-tier gear, including a Khadas Tone Board DAC and a JDS Labs Atom and Geshelli Labs Archel2.5 Pro amplifier. The ZAX has everything in the spades: balance, detail, vividness, dynamics, treble, bass, midrange, you name it. Yet there is no hint of overreaching or heavy-handedness from harshness, sterility, bloat or peakiness. End game? Yes, sir-ree! Buy without hesitation!

They are in my Aliexpress cart. Just waiting for the 11/11 sale to snag this set. Thanks for your comments and recommendations. I think I'm in!